Ministry of Industry and Trade warns businesses about Section 232 investigation from the US

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, exports to the US and China face challenges, but Vietnamese goods continue to accelerate despite fluctuations in tariffs and war.

Mr. Nong Duc Lai, Vietnam Trade Counselor in China, spoke online on the morning of October 2 - Photo: BD

The conference on connecting trade and promoting exports - Da Nang 2025 held in Da Nang on October 2 attracted hundreds of businesses, representatives of diplomatic agencies, and ministries to attend.

Information about China and the US - the two most important markets of Vietnam - was shared and attracted attention.

Vietnamese goods are difficult to export to the US but still maintain thanks to good adaptation

According to Mr. Do Ngoc Hung - Commercial Counselor, Head of the Vietnam Trade Office in the US, recently the world has witnessed trade turbulence related to the US market.

Vietnam is among the markets that the US is interested in because of its high trade surplus. Exports from Vietnam have also faced continuous difficulties due to the tax policies of the Donald Trump administration, tariff barriers and trade investigations.

Re-evaluating Vietnam's adaptation and prospects for exporting goods to the US from now until the end of the year, Mr. Hung said there are many positive factors to promote and maintain export momentum.

Despite the high current tax, US importers generally still prefer to choose Vietnamese goods because of their long-standing business tradition. Many Vietnamese businesses have also adapted very quickly.

However, from now until the end of the year, the US investigation under Section 232 (focusing on a number of items such as cars, semiconductors, furniture, etc.) will certainly make it difficult to export a number of important Vietnamese products.

" The government and ministries have taken action very early and very decisively to remove barriers to facilitate exports to the US.

We recommend that businesses should carefully prepare documents on traceability and be ready to provide full information once the US delegation inspects to avoid partners accusing us of hiding information," Mr. Hung advised.

Vietnam is among the 10 countries with the most agricultural product warnings from China.

In addition to the US, developments around the Chinese market are also of interest to businesses. According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade , China is currently the largest trading partner - accounting for 26% of Vietnam's trade with the world.

According to Mr. Nong Duc Lai - Vietnam Trade Counselor in China (Ministry of Industry and Trade), up to now, Vietnam has 12 types of fruits and dozens of vegetables and spices allowed to be exported to China. Durian accounts for the largest value proportion at 70%.

Despite the increase in exports, according to Mr. Lai, there are also warnings of immediate risks in this populous market.

Every year, thousands of agricultural products and food from other countries violate China's import regulations and standards. Vietnam is among the top 10 countries with the most agricultural products warned about.

The errors that were warned about were mostly related to certification procedures, incomplete product documents, food additives, product packaging labels, quality indicators, expiry dates, etc.

Specialties from localities converge in Da Nang within the framework of the Conference on Trade Connection and Export Promotion - Da Nang 2025 - Photo: BD

Recommending businesses, Mr. Lai said that Chinese consumers' current consumption trends are more interested in healthy products, high quality and clear origin.

"We need to take advantage of being next to China to exploit the full potential of this huge market. We need to organize production according to VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards; standards of importing countries and strengthen management and supervision of quality, food safety and hygiene...

We also need to focus on building brands; we need human resources with professional knowledge, language proficiency, understanding of the importing country's market, and being ready to compete with other countries to bring goods to China," said Mr. Lai.

The conference on connecting trade and promoting exports - Da Nang 2025 took place at the Ariyana International Convention Palace in Da Nang on October 2. The program was organized by the Department of Industry and Trade of Da Nang city in coordination with the Trade Promotion Agency of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and other units.

Citing data from the WTO, a representative of the Ministry of Industry and Trade said that global trade is currently much lower than forecast. Although US imports increased by 11% in the first 6 months of the year, the WTO said this was just a "tax evasion" phenomenon, not reflecting a sustainable trend.

Vietnam maintains positive growth momentum thanks to a network of bilateral agreements, opening up opportunities to access large markets.

Thai Ba Dung

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/bo-cong-thuong-canh-bao-doanh-nghiep-ve-cuoc-dieu-tra-muc-232-tu-my-20251002113631456.htm